


Carbon Copy

by Brenda



Series: Second Time Around [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Political Animals
Genre: Adorable Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Gen, M/M, Protective Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-06
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 08:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4514976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brenda/pseuds/Brenda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Oh.  Oh </i>God<i>.  Of all the days for Bucky to decide he wanted to shave all of that scruff off his face...</i></p><p><i>Bucky stuck out his right hand, and even his </i>smile<i> was different.  Softer, teasing, deep-grooved and open – it was TJ's smile down to the bone.  Jesus, Steve thought, dumbstruck.  </i>Jesus.<i></i></p><p> Or: Someone mistaking Bucky for TJ was bound to happen sooner or later...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Carbon Copy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [stephrc79](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephrc79/gifts).



> Quick birthday ficlet for my other brain twin, because she loves this series and these guys almost as much as I do. :)

Most days, Steve was genuinely glad to have Bucky back in his life. He was genuinely happy that they'd made it through all of the trials life had thrown at them and still had the other to lean on. That they were still there for each other at the end of the day, no matter what.

But then there were the times when Steve wanted to strangle Bucky with his bare hands.

"Look, you're not getting out of going, and that's final," Steve stated, long strides eating the pavement as he and Bucky left Cadman Plaza and headed west towards Clark. Despite the early hour and the chill in the air, they were both sticky and heated from their run. (Having someone who could keep up with him was one for the plus column in having Bucky around, but Steve wasn't feeling all that charitable at the moment.) "I'll tie you up and throw you in the trunk if I have to," he added.

"You don't even have a car," Bucky pointed out, because his best friend was an insufferable bastard who had a death wish.

"TJ has one."

"True," Bucky said, as they turned the corner to head north on Henry, "but the boyfriend _and_ his car are down in D.C."

"I know that." Knew, and was trying – without much success – not to count down the hours until he was in D.C. with TJ. Where Bucky _would_ be joining them if Steve actually did have to hogtie Bucky's stubborn ass and throw Bucky over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Better men than you have tried to take me down, Rogers."

"Yeah, I doubt that," Steve said. He quickly swiped his Brooklyn Dodgers hat off his head and rubbed his arm across his forehead to try to soak up some of the sweat. Coffee first, because he had priorities, but as soon as he and Bucky got back to the apartment, he was hopping in the shower for at least an hour. "Besides, it's long past time we got the ball rolling on what we need to do to get you legally reinstated."

Bucky shook his head and pulled open the door to Vineapple. "You know that's never gonna happen." 

Steve followed him into the coffee shop. "Sure it will. And TJ's family can help clear through some of the red tape."

"I'm not dragging them in the middle of my shit, Steve," Bucky stated, with that belligerent tilt to his chin Steve knew all too well. "His mother's trying to run for President. How the hell would that work if she's fending off questions about why she's giving sanctuary to a war criminal?"

Steve put a hand on Bucky's arm, felt cool metal under the thin material of the long-sleeved shirt. "Buck..." He dropped his voice, met wary blue eyes with his own steady gaze. "You were a _prisoner_ of war. There's a difference. And you deserve to have your life back."

"And what if the military or Congress chooses to try to stick me in a cage, what then?"

"They'll have to go through me first," Steve promised, and hoped Bucky could tell how serious he was. Even if neither he nor TJ could get the rest of the Hammonds on board, Steve knew his word still carried a lot of weight on Capitol Hill. He wasn't above using any influence he had. Bucky was family.

"Steve..." Bucky started, only to pull up short. "We got company," he muttered, with a slight nod to Steve's five o'clock.

Steve half-turned, and saw a very pretty girl – late teens, maybe, or very early twenties – standing respectfully off to the side. He recognized the adoring, awestruck look on her face. "Hi," he said, with a wary look. If she'd recognized Bucky... 

"I am so sorry, but..." She took a cautious step forward, and that adoring look transferred from him to Bucky. Which was...sort of odd. "I mean, I never do this, I promise, but it's you – it's _both_ of you – I mean, you're my favorite couple..."

"I'm sorry, what –?" Steve started, only to get sharply elbowed in the side by Bucky.

"It's okay, you're fine, don't worry about it," Bucky said, only he didn't sound anything like Bucky. The inflection was all wrong, the bright tone was all wrong, the way he sounded out his vowels was all wrong. In fact, Bucky sounded just like...

Oh. Oh _God_. Of all the days for Bucky to decide he wanted to shave all of that scruff off his face...

Bucky stuck out his right hand, and even his _smile_ was different. Softer, teasing, deep-grooved and open – it was TJ's smile down to the bone. Jesus, Steve thought, dumbstruck. _Jesus._

"It's nice to meet you..." Bucky trailed off, expectant. He surreptitiously moved his metal hand to rest against Steve's lower back, just under the hem of his shirt. Steve tried not to wince at the chilled touch on still heated skin.

"Um, oh my God, it's Whitney. I'm Whitney." She shook Bucky's hand in a daze. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Hammond."

"It's just TJ, please." He affectionately leaned against Steve's side. He'd even shifted his weight differently so he _felt_ more like TJ. _Jesus._ "Steve, be polite to the nice lady."

Steve was going to murder Bucky at the very first opportunity. What the _hell_ was he thinking? Thankfully, years of dealing with the public came to the forefront, and he managed a respectful nod. "It's very nice to meet you, Whitney."

"Captain," Whitney said, in the sort of tone people in Steve's day reserved for talking about the President or the Pope. Her gaze was wide and worshipful. "It's...thank you. For...well, for everything you've done. I mean, with the Avengers and before in your war and all."

Steve shifted uncomfortably, and resisted the urge to pull his hat lower on his forehead. One day, he thought, he'd learn to accept a compliment from an attractive female with grace and dignity. "Really, there's no need to –"

Once again, Bucky cut him off. "Don't let him fool you. He's just being his usual modest self," he said, and gave Steve a pitch-perfect imitation of the look TJ normally gave him when he was recognized on the street. It was the most disturbing thing Steve had seen in months.

"You two are really great together. I mean, not that I know you personally or anything, obviously, but, it's just..." She shrugged, helpless. "You seem really happy together in all of the pics I see online."

"Thank you," Bucky replied, and squeezed Steve close. 

Definitely a dead man walking, Steve thought, but put his hand on Bucky's hip and leaned slightly in. This was no different than all of his USO shows or when he and TJ had to go to an official function. Just playing a part. "TJ and I are _very_ happy together," he said, and that, at least, was the absolute truth.

"Do you...?" she gestured at the counter. "Can I buy you both a cup of coffee...?"

"Oh, no, that's..."

"Let us buy you one instead," Bucky said, with another one of TJ's smiles.

"Oh, I couldn't," she protested.

"We insist," Steve said, and gave her his best earnest Captain America smile. If they were going to do this, they may as well make it count. "Please. After you."

She looked like a stiff breeze could blow her right over, but she obligingly stepped up to the counter to place her order. Steve took the moment to lean in close to Bucky and whisper, "What the _fuck_ , Barnes?"

"No one knows I'm alive, remember," Bucky murmured back, so low even Steve barely heard him. Which, he had a good point, but _Jesus_ , there were so many levels of wrong to what Bucky was doing right now.

"Okay, yeah," Steve replied, and stepped up to the counter beside Bucky. Who was still hiding his metal hand by resting it under Steve's shirt, and there really weren't enough words in the English language for how weird this entire situation was. How the hell was he even going to explain this to TJ later?

Thankfully, Steve and Bucky managed to escape Vineapple unscathed after their run-in with Whitney – Steve had bought her coffee and a bagel and had obligingly snapped a selfie with her after Bucky (thankfully) demurred, protesting his sweaty state, and that had been that. He waited until he and Bucky were back on the sidewalk before he felt it was relatively safe to talk about what had just happened. 

Only, once he opened his mouth, he couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Yeah, buddy," Bucky said, once more sounding like himself – and, more importantly, _looking_ like himself, "I know just how you feel."

Steve nodded. He was thankful Bucky seemed to know what he was thinking. " _Jesus_ ," he said. "I thought – I thought she recognized you. I mean, _you_ , you."

Bucky took a long pull of his coffee. "You do know you're the only person on the planet who doesn't think he and I look alike, right."

"I just...you're both so different." Steve shrugged. He knew their circle of friends who knew about Bucky thought he was nuts for not seeing the resemblance, but it was true. He honestly hadn't thought about it since the night he and TJ met. "I thought I was going to have to do some serious damage control."

Bucky shook his head. "Lucky for both of us that I _didn't_ forget I look like the boyfriend."

"Yeah, I guess." Steve sipped at his coffee. "But, seriously, never do that again. That was...disturbing."

"Believe me, I didn't enjoy pretending to be him anymore than you did."

"And you get to be the one to tell TJ all about this."

Bucky shrugged. "Done," he said. "You'd just manage to fuck it up anyway and give him a complex."

"You're such a dick. I have no idea why we're still friends."

"Bad habit," Bucky said with a grin, just as Steve's phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID, then swiped answer with what he was sure was the world's goofiest grin. "Hey, babe, your ears must be burning."

"I hope you were saying good things," TJ said, with a bright laugh. Just hearing it was the best balm on the planet.

"Only the best," Steve assured him. "So, what are you doing up so early?"

"Breakfast pow-pow session with Mom and Dougie to go over a few things for the campaign, so I was up bright and early this morning. You would have been proud of me, I was coherent and everything."

"I'm always proud of you, you know that." He could hear Bucky's muffled snort, but ignored it. "I miss you."

"Miss you too," TJ quietly replied. "When are you coming down? Nana's dying to introduce you to some of her friends."

"Well, Bucky and I were just talking about that," Steve said, and turned to Bucky. "In fact, I'm gonna give him the phone and you can give him all the details about when and where we should meet you. He's got something he needs to tell you anyway."

"Sounds good," TJ said. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Steve replied, and tried to pass the phone to Bucky. 

Bucky shook his head and made a slashing motion at his throat. "Steve..." 

"Don't Steve me. You're coming with me to D.C.," Steve stated, meeting Bucky's glare with his own. "You owe me."

"Fine," Bucky sighed, and took the phone from Steve's hand. "Hey, bro, what's going on?"

Steve just smiled and concentrated on his coffee. It was definitely past time to give Bucky his life back.

***

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to G. for the quick beta.
> 
> You can now find me on [Tumblr](http://brendaonao3.tumblr.com/). :)


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